Poker with bonus round and related method

ABSTRACT

A video poker machine includes a display screen and a processor. The processor deals a winning hand of cards, which the screen displays, and randomly selects a bonus prize if the winning hand is a bonus hand. Alternatively, the processor randomly selects a bonus prize regardless of whether the processor deals a winning hand or whether the winning hand is a bonus hand. Such a bonus round can increase the profitability of the poker machine. Specifically, the availability of a bonus increases the appeal, and thus the take of the machine. By selecting an appropriate bonus hand and appropriate odds of winning in the bonus round, this increase in take can increase the machine&#39;s profit as compared to the profit of a conventional machine having the same payout schedule but without a bonus round. Moreover, this increase in profit can typically be achieved without a player&#39;s knowledge and without violating any gaming laws.

CLAIM FOR PRIORITY

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Serial No. 60/343,550 filed on Dec. 21, 2001, which isincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In recent years computerized video poker has become a popularform of entertainment. A conventional video poker machine typicallyincludes a computer system that includes a computer processor forexecuting a program that controls a display screen, a credit receptacle,and a payout dispenser. The video poker machine also typically includesa means of player input such as pushbuttons that allow the player toselect a wager from available credits (if any credits are available) andto select which cards to hold and which to discard. The computer programalso controls the features of the game play and, via the display,presents a player with an opportunity to wager credits against knownodds of being dealt one of a number of possible winning hands.

[0003] Unfortunately, as discussed below, the profit margin of a videopoker machine is typically limited by the inherent nature of pokeritself. Theoretically, there are two major techniques for increasing amachine's profit margin. The first technique is to increase themachine's hold percentage, which is the percentage of the machine'stake—the machine's take is the total amount of money that playerswager—that the machine does not pay out for winning hands, and which isthus equal to 100% minus the payout percentage. But as discussed below,increasing the machine's hold percentage may reduce the machine's take,and thus reduce the machine's profit. The second technique is toincrease the machine's take. One way to increase a machine's take is toincrease the appeal of the machine so that more players play it. Forexample, the machine may allow wild cards or provide some other featuresthat increase a player's chance of winning. But although such featuresmay increase the appeal, and thus the take, of the machine, they oftenreduce the machine's hold percentage to an extent that does notincrease, and may actually decrease, the machine's profit.

[0004] Consequently, a need has arisen for a technique that increasesthe profit of a video poker machine.

Overview of Conventional Video Poker

[0005] Table I is an example payout schedule for a conventional video“draw poker” machine. This payout schedule is typically conspicuouslylocated on the machine so that players can see it. TABLE I Credits(e.g.,coins) in: 1 2 3 4 5 Payout: 1 2 3 4 5 Pair of Jacks or Better 2 4 6 810 Two Pair 3 6 9 12 15 Three of a Kind 4 8 12 16 20 Straight 5 10 15 2025 Flush 8 16 24 32 40 Full House 25 50 75 100 125 Four of a Kind 50 100150 200 250 Straight Flush 250 500 750 1000 4000 Royal Flush

[0006] To start play, a player deposits one or more credits into themachine, and a display shows the number of credits deposited andavailable for wagering. As discussed below, a winning hand will increasethe number of available credits by the number of credits won, and alosing hand will decrease the number of available credits by the numberof credits wagered.

[0007] The machine then prompts the player to wager one or more creditsup to a maximum number of credits (here five credits per Table I) bypushing a button or via other input means.

[0008] When the player makes his wager, the processor randomly selectsten cards from a single deck (five for the initial hand and fivereserved for draw). The specifics of how the processor selects the tencards are well-known in the gaming industry, and, therefore, are notdiscussed further.

[0009] After the player makes his wager, the processor deals the initialhand of five cards. The remaining five cards make up the draw.

[0010] Once the player sees his initial hand of five cards, he discardsthe desired number of cards (zero to five), and the processor replacesthe discarded cards with the same number of cards from the draw. If theresulting hand is one of the winning hands from Table I, then theprocessor increases the displayed available credit count accordingly.For example, referring to Table I, if the resulting hand is two pair andthe player wagered two credits, then the processor increases thedisplayed available credit count by four credits. If, however, theresulting hand is not a winning hand, then the processor decreases thedisplayed available credit count by two credits. After the game is over,the player may choose to play again by placing another wager (bydepositing additional credits or using the available credits) or maychoose to have the machine payout his winnings in the amount of theavailable credits displayed.

[0011] Referring to Table I, this payout schedule is designed to providea video poker machine with a predetermined hold percentage ofapproximately 4%. Typically, gaming laws require that a video pokermachine payout a predetermined percentage of its take over time. Withthe payout schedule of Table I, this predetermine payout percentage isapproximately 100%−4%=96%. If the machine pays out less than thispredetermined percentage, then the gaming commission may require theowner to remove the machine from service. Conversely, if the machinepays out more than this predetermined percentage, then the machine'sprofit may decline. Consequently, because the pattern of play, which isoften unpredictable, affects the payout percentage, the machine'sprocessor is programmed to alter the odds of winning as necessary tomaintain the machine's payout at the predetermined percentage. That is,the processor compensates for the pattern of play so as to maintain thepayout percentage at a substantially constant level over time.

[0012] As stated above, it is difficult to increase the profit of avideo poker machine by increasing the machine's hold percentage. One wayto increase the hold percentage is to reduce the payouts for one or moreof the winning hands. But because the machine displays the payoutschedule—gaming laws typically require such a display—players will tendto play other machines having higher payouts. Therefore, even thoughthis payout reduction increases the hold percentage, it often reducesthe machine's take, and thus the machine's profit.

[0013] Also as stated above, it is difficult to increase the profit of avideo poker machine by increasing the machine's player appeal ascompared to the player appeal of other video poker machines. Forexample, one can increase the player appeal by adding features thatincrease the player's chances of winning or that increase the payoutsfor the respective winning hands. But as stated above, although suchfeatures and increased payouts may increase the machine's take, theytypically reduce the machine's holding percentage to an extent thatreduces the machine's profit as compared to a video poker machine havingthe payout schedule of Table I. That is, the increase in the take istypically not enough to offset the decrease in the machine's holdpercentage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] One aspect of the invention is a video poker machine thatincludes a display screen and a processor. The processor deals a winninghand of cards, which the screen displays, and randomly selects a bonusprize if the winning hand is a bonus hand.

[0015] In another aspect of the invention, the processor randomlyselects a bonus prize regardless of whether the processor deals awinning hand or whether the winning hand is a bonus hand.

[0016] Such a bonus round can increase the profitability of the pokermachine. Specifically, the availability of a bonus increases the appeal,and thus the take of the machine. By selecting an appropriate bonus handand appropriate odds of winning in the bonus round, this increase intake can increase the machine's profit as compared to the profit of aconventional machine having the same payout schedule but without a bonusround. Moreover, this increase in profit can typically be achievedwithout a player's knowledge and without violating any gaming laws.

[0017] Because of the number of video poker machines played throughoutthe world, even a slight increase in a machine's profitability canamount to vast sums of money for the owners of many such machines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages ofthis invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomebetter understood by reference to the following detailed description,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0019]FIG. 1 is a front view of a video poker machine according to anembodiment of the invention.

[0020]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the video poker machine ofFIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0021]FIG. 3 is the display screen of FIG. 1 displaying an initial handof cards according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0022]FIG. 4 is the display screen of FIG. 1 displaying a resultingbonus hand of cards according to an embodiment of the invention; and

[0023]FIG. 5 is the display screen of FIG. 1 displaying a bonus round ofplay according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilledin the art to make and use the invention. The general principlesdescribed herein may be applied to embodiments and applications otherthan those detailed below without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. The present invention is not intended to belimited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed or suggestedherein.

[0025]FIG. 1 is a video poker machine 10 that implements a bonus roundaccording to an embodiment of the invention. The machine 10 includes aconventional display screen 12 for displaying cards (not shown inFIG. 1) and other game information. For example, the screen 12 may be acathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid-crystal (LCD) display. The machine 10also includes a conventional input device 14—here five buttons 16 a-16e—for allowing a player (not shown) to enter information such as theamount of his wager and which cards he selects for holding and which fordiscarding. Alternatively, the buttons 16 a-16 e may be touch-screenbuttons that are displayed on the screen 12, or the device 14 mayinclude additional buttons (not shown) or other input components. Inaddition, the machine 10 includes a conventional credit receptacle 18for receiving wager credit. For example, the receptacle 18 may acceptcoins, tokens, bills, debit cards, or other means of payment. Asdiscussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 3-5, the machine 10 implementsa bonus round that can increase the profit of the machine as compared tothe profit of a machine implementing the same payout schedule with nobonus round. Specifically, the bonus round can increase the take of themachine 10 by increasing the machine's player appeal without excessivelyreducing the machine's hold percentage. That is, even if the bonus rounddecreases the machine's hold percentage, the increase in take issufficient to increase the machine's profit despite the decrease in holdpercentage.

[0026]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the video poker machine 10according to an embodiment of the invention. The machine 10 includes acontrol circuit 20, which communicates with the screen 12, input device14, and credit receptacle 18 and which includes a conventional processor22 coupled to a conventional memory 24. The processor 22 controls theoverall operation of the machine 10. Specifically, the processor 22implements at least one type of video poker game on the screen 12 byexecuting at least one program stored in the memory 24. The programdictates the attributes (e.g., the payout schedule, the bonus schedule,and the game rules) of the video poker game. Consequently, one canchange the game attributes by changing the program. In one embodiment,the processor 22 is programmed to implement five-card-draw poker withthe payout schedule of Table I and the bonus schedule discussed below inconjunction with FIG. 5.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the operation of the video poker machine10 of FIGS. 1-2 is discussed according to an embodiment of theinvention. Each of FIGS. 3-5 shows the display screen 12 at variousstages of a poker game. For purposes of discussion, it is assumed thatthe processor 22 is programmed to implement five-card draw poker, to payout winnings according to the schedule of Table I, and to enter a bonusround when a player (not shown) achieves four of a kind.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 3, the processor 22 (FIG. 2) causes the screen12 to display the number 30 of available playing credits, and a player(not shown) initiates game play by using the input device 14 (FIG. 1) towager a number 32—here five—of the available credits. Each credittypically represents a convenient amount of money such as $0.05(nickel), $0.10 (dime), or $0.25 (quarter) although it can represent anyamount of money. If the player wishes to wager more than the availablecredits, he can purchase additional credits via the credit receptacle 18(FIG. 1). In this example, the player has wagered a maximum five credits(Table I) such that he is eligible for the bonus round, which isdiscussed below.

[0029] In response to the player (not shown) wagering a number 32 ofcredits, the processor 22 “deals” an initial hand 34 of cards inpositions 36 a-36 e, and causes the screen 12 to display the hand, whichin this example is the jack of diamonds, four of diamonds, four ofhearts, queen of clubs, and four of clubs. More specifically, inresponse to receiving the wager via the input device 14, the processor22 randomly selects ten cards from a single deck as discussed above, andgenerates a random number having a value between 0 and 1 for the bonusround as discussed below in conjunction with FIG. 5. The processor 22then deals the first five of the ten selected cards to generate theinitial hand 34, and maintains the remaining five cards in reserve forthe player to draw from.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 4, the player (not shown) decides which cardsto hold and which to discard, and presumably will attempt a four of akind so that the processor 22 will cause the machine 10 (FIG. 1) toenter a bonus round of play. More specifically, because the initial hand34 (FIG. 3) has three “4's” and the player presumably wants to enter thebonus round, he uses the input device 14 (FIG. 1) to discard the jackand the queen in the respective card positions 36 a and 36 d.Alternatively, the player uses the input device 14 to hold the “4's” inthe positions 36 b, 36 c, and 36 c. The processor 22 may suggest via thescreen 12 which cards the player should hold and which he shoulddiscard, although the player is free to hold whichever cards he wishes.

[0031] Still referring to FIG. 4, once the player (not shown) selectswhich cards to hold and which to discard, the processor 22 causes thescreen 12 to display “held” atop the held cards, and generates aresulting hand 38 by drawing replacements for the discarded cards, inorder, from the five-card reserve.

[0032] Because in this example one of the drawn cards (position 36 d) isthe four of spades, the resulting hand 38 is four of a kind (here four“4's”), which is both a winning hand and the bonus hand. Consequently,the processor 22 may cause the screen 12 to display a winning-handbanner 40 and an entering-bonus-screen banner 42 or a similar display toindicate entry into the bonus round.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 5, because the resulting hand 38 (FIG. 4) isthe bonus hand, the processor 22 (FIG. 1) enters the bonus round andcauses the screen 12 to display a bonus wheel 50 and optional banners 52and 54. The wheel 50 includes wedge-shaped segments 56 that each have abonus prize written therein. In one embodiment, the wheel 50 has eightsegments 56 a-56 h, which respectively indicate the following bonusprizes: “125”, “250”, “400”, “800”, “1600”, “3200”, “6400” (the numbersindicate respective numbers of bonus credits), and “Jackpot”. Becausethe lowest bonus prize is 125 credits, the player will win at least thesame amount he would have won under the payout schedule of Table I.Alternatively, the wheel 50 may have more or fewer than eight segmentsthat indicate different bonus prizes. Also, multiple segments 56 mayindicate the same bonus prize, and some segments may indicate no bonusprize at all.

[0034] After the processor 22 (FIG. 1) enters the bonus round, it“spins” the wheel 50, and the player (not shown) wins the bonus prizeidentified by the segment 56 pointed to by a pointer 58 when the wheelstops. The processor 22 (FIG. 1) may spin the wheel 50 spontaneously orin response to player input via the input device 14, and in either casemay cause the screen 12 to display a human or other character (notshown) who spins the wheel. The processor 22 stops the wheel 50 in aposition that is predetermined by the random number generated asdiscussed above in conjunction with FIG. 3, and is programmed such thatthe bonus prizes on the wheel 50 respective have desired winning odds.

[0035] Still referring to FIG. 5, the processor 22 causes the machine 10(FIG. 1) to credit the won bonus prize to the player (not shown) byincreasing the number 30 (FIG. 4) of available credits, expellingcoins/tokens, by signaling an attendant, or in any other manner.Although the bonus prize is discussed as being in lieu of the standard(i.e., non-bonus) payout for four of a kind, the bonus prize may be inaddition to the standard payout. For example, the machine 10 may payout125 credits for four of a kind, and the bonus wheel 50 may have 0credits as its lowest prize. Furthermore, the jackpot may be astand-alone progressive jackpot or a linked progressive jackpot. Theamount of a stand-alone progressive jackpot is typically related to thefunds collected by the machine 10 (FIG. 1), whereas the amount of alinked progressive jackpot is typically related to the funds collectedby a number of linked machines. Because machines in different locationscan be linked electronically, a linked progressive jackpot is typicallymuch larger than a stand-alone progressive jackpot. For example, theformer may grow to be in the millions of dollars, whereas the latter maygrow to be in the hundreds of dollars. Consequently, although ittypically has much lower odds, a linked progressive jackpot is typicallymore appealing to a player than a stand-alone progressive jackpot, and,therefore, may increase the take and profit of the machine more than astand-alone jackpot.

[0036] Still referring to FIG. 5, the bonus round often increases theprofit of the machine 10 by increasing the take of the machine. Asdiscussed above, the hold percentage of a poker machine ispredetermined, and, for the payout schedule of Table I, is approximately4%. With the addition of the bonus round, however, the hold percentagewill be lower; how much lower depends on the odds of winning the bonusprizes greater than 125 credits (the conventional payout for four of akind). However, the increase in player appeal due to the bonus roundincreases the take such that the machine's profit is increased despitethis decrease in the hold percentage. And because the payout scheduleneed not be altered, this increase in profit is transparent to theplayer (not shown). Furthermore, selecting four of a kind as the bonushand helps maximize the player appeal. Specifically, the odds for afour-of a-kind hand are one for approximately every 423 hands. Theseodds are high enough so that the lure of a bonus prize, and possibly ajackpot, will entice players to attempt four of a kind, but are not sohigh that the game becomes boring by entering the bonus round toofrequently.

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, alternative embodiments of the videopoker machine 10 are contemplated. For example, the machine 10 may enterthe bonus round in response to a winning hand other than four of a kind,or may enter the bonus round in response to more than one winning hand.Furthermore, the machine 10 may enter the bonus round randomlyregardless of whether a player achieves a winning or bonus hand, andthis random entry may be in addition to entry for a bonus hand. Forexample, the machine 10 may enter the bonus round once every 10,000hands (all hands or only hands where the maximum number of credits arewagered) on average in addition to entering the bonus round for a bonushand. The machine 10 may implement such a random bonus round bygenerating two random numbers, one for entry in to the random bonusround and the other for random selection of the bonus prize. Moreover,the bonus round may include a bonus indicator other than the bonus wheel50. In addition, the bonus round may be included on video poker machinesthat deal more or fewer than five cards or with other poker games suchas table (non-machine) poker. In addition, the machine 10 may enter thebonus round when fewer than the maximum number of credits are wagered,and the bonus prizes may vary depending on the number of creditswagered.

We claim:
 1. A video poker machine, comprising: a display screen; and aprocessor coupled to the display and operable to, deal a winning hand ofcards, cause the screen to display the dealing of the winning hand,randomly select a bonus prize if the winning hand is a bonus hand, causethe screen to display the random selection of the bonus prize, and paythe bonus prize.
 2. The video poker machine of claim 1, furthercomprising: an input device coupled to the processor; and wherein theprocessor is operable to deal the winning hand by: dealing apredetermined number of cards, causing the screen to display the dealtcards, allowing a player to discard at least one of the dealt cards andto draw at least one additional card to replace the at least onediscarded card via the input device, and causing the screen to displaythe drawn cards.
 3. The video poker machine of claim 1, furthercomprising: an input device coupled to the processor; and wherein theprocessor is operable to deal the winning hand by, dealing five cards,causing the screen to display the dealt cards, allowing a player todiscard at least one of the dealt cards and to draw at least oneadditional card to replace the discarded cards via the selection device,and causing the screen to display the drawn cards.
 4. The video pokermachine of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to randomly selectthe bonus prize by: generating a random number; and selecting the bonusprize from a plurality of predetermined bonus prizes based on the randomnumber.
 5. The video poker machine of claim 1 wherein the processor isoperable to randomly select the bonus prize if the winning hand is fourof a kind.
 6. The video poker machine of claim 1, further comprising: aninput device coupled to the processor; and wherein the processor isoperable to randomly select the bonus prize only if a player indicates amaximum allowed wager via the input device before the processor dealsthe winning hand.
 7. The video poker machine of claim 1 wherein theprocessor is operable to: randomly select the bonus by, spinning a bonuswheel marked with a plurality of bonus prizes, and selecting the bonusprize based on the orientation of the bonus wheel when it stopsspinning, and causing the screen to display the random selection of thebonus prize by causing the screen to display the spinning and stoppingof the bonus wheel.
 8. The video poker machine of claim 1 wherein theprocessor is further operable to: randomly select a number of cards froma single deck of cards; and deal the winning hand from the randomlyselected cards.
 9. The video poker machine of claim 1 wherein thewinning hand of cards comprises one of the following hands: a pair ofjacks or better; two pair; three of a kind; a straight; a flush; a fullhouse; four of a kind; a straight flush; and a royal flush.
 10. A videopoker machine, comprising: an input device; a display screen; and aprocessor coupled to the input device and to the display screen andoperable to, receive a wager via the input device, generate a randomnumber in response to receiving the wager, randomly select a number ofcards from a single deck of cards, deal a hand of cards from therandomly selected cards, cause the screen to display the dealt hand,allow a player to alter the dealt hand by using the input device todiscard at least one of the dealt cards and to draw at least oneadditional card to replace the at least one discarded card; cause thescreen to display the altering of the dealt hand, cause the screen todisplay a spinning bonus wheel if the altered hand is a bonus hand andif the processor received a maximum wager, stop the bonus wheel toindicate a bonus prize based on the random number, cause the screen todisplay the stopped bonus wheel and the selected bonus prize, and paythe bonus prize.
 11. The video poker machine of claim 10 wherein thebonus hand comprises a predetermined winning poker hand.
 12. The videopoker machine of claim 10 wherein the bonus hand comprises a four-ofa-kind poker hand.
 13. The video poker machine of claim 10 wherein theprocessor is operable to pay the bonus prize by crediting the bonusprize to an amount available for a subsequent wager.
 14. A video pokermachine, comprising: a payout schedule for all possible winning hands ofa poker game, the payout schedule yielding a potential hold percentageand a potential profit; and a bonus feature that, in combination withthe payout schedule, yields an actual hold percentage that is less thanthe potential hold percentage and an actual profit that is greater thanthe potential profit.
 15. The video poker machine of claim 14 whereinthe poker game comprises a five-card-draw poker game.
 16. The videopoker game of claim 14 wherein the payout schedule comprises multiplepayouts for each winning hand based on an amount wagered.
 17. A videopoker machine, comprising: a display screen; and a processor coupled tothe display and operable to, randomly enter a bonus round and select abonus prize, cause the screen to display the random selection of thebonus prize, and pay the bonus prize.
 18. The video poker machine ofclaim 17 wherein the processor is further operable to: deal a winninghand of cards; and randomly enter the bonus round and select a bonusprize regardless of whether the winning hand is a bonus hand.
 19. Thevideo poker machine of claim 17 wherein the processor is furtheroperable to: deal a winning hand of cards; and enter the bonus round andselect a bonus prize if the winning hand is a bonus hand.
 20. The videopoker machine of claim 17 wherein the processor is operable to randomlyenter the bonus round and select the bonus prize by: generating firstand second random numbers; entering the bonus round based on the firstrandom number; and selecting the bonus prize from a plurality ofpredetermined bonus prizes based on the second random number.
 21. Thevideo poker machine of claim 17 wherein the processor is operable torandomly enter the bonus round and select a bonus prize only if a playerwagers a maximum number of credits.
 22. A method for playing a cardgame, the method comprising: dealing a winning hand of cards; and payinga randomly selected bonus if the winning hand is also a bonus hand. 23.The method of claim 22 wherein dealing a winning hand comprises: dealinga predetermined number of cards; and allowing a player to discard atleast one of the dealt cards and to draw at least one additional card toreplace the at least one discarded card.
 24. The method of claim 22wherein dealing a winning hand comprises: dealing five cards; andallowing a player to discard at least one of the dealt cards and to drawat least one additional card to replace the at least one discarded card.25. The method of claim 22 wherein paying a randomly selected bonusprizes comprises: generating a random number; and paying one of aplurality of predetermined bonus prizes based on the random number. 26.The method of claim 22 wherein paying a bonus prize comprises paying abonus prize if the winning hand is four of a kind.
 27. The method ofclaim 22 wherein paying a bonus prize comprises paying a bonus prizeonly if a player wagered a maximum allowable amount before the dealingof the winning hand.
 28. The method of claim 22 wherein paying arandomly selected bonus prize comprises: spinning a wheel marked withdifferent bonus prize; and paying the bonus prize based on the positionin which the wheel stops.
 29. The method of claim 22 wherein the bonusprize comprises money.
 30. The method of claim 22 wherein the bonusprize comprises a non-monetary award.
 31. The method of claim 22,further comprising: randomly selecting cards from a single deck ofcards; and wherein dealing the winning hand comprises dealing thewinning hand from the randomly selected cards.
 32. A method, comprising:receiving a number of wager credits; generating a random number inresponse to receiving the wager credits; randomly selecting cards from asingle deck of cards; dealing a hand of cards from the randomly selectedcards; allowing a player to discard at least one of the dealt cards andto draw at least one additional card to replace the at least onediscarded card; spinning a bonus wheel if the resulting hand is a bonushand and the maximum number of wager credits was received; stopping thebonus wheel to indicate a bonus prize based on the second random number;and paying the indicated bonus prize.
 33. A method, comprising: settinga payout schedule for all possible winning hands of a card game, thepayout schedule resulting in a hold percentage and a-profit; andreducing the hold percentage and increasing the profit without alteringthe payout schedule.
 34. The method of claim 33 wherein setting a payoutschedule comprises setting the payout schedule for all possible winninghands of a five-card-draw poker game.
 35. The method of claim 33 whereinsetting a payout schedule comprises setting multiple payouts for eachwinning hand based on the amount wagered.
 36. The method of claim 33wherein reducing the hold percentage comprises setting a schedule ofbonus prizes for one of the possible winning hands.
 37. A method forplaying a card game, the method comprising: randomly entering a bonusround and selecting a bonus prize; and paying the randomly selectedbonus prize.
 38. The method of claim 37, further comprising: dealing awinning hand of cards; and wherein randomly entering the bonus roundcomprises randomly entering the bonus round and selecting a bonus prizeregardless of whether the winning hand is a bonus hand.
 39. The methodof claim 37, further comprising: dealing a winning hand of cards; andentering the bonus round and selecting a bonus prize if the winning handis a bonus hand.
 40. The method of claim 37, further comprising:generating first and second random numbers; entering the bonus roundbased on the first random number; and selecting the bonus prize from aplurality of predetermined bonus prizes based on the second randomnumber.
 41. The method of claim 37 wherein randomly entering the bonusround comprises randomly entering the bonus round and selecting thebonus prize only if a player wagers a maximum number of credits.